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Dene people mourn the loss of elder and former chief Everett Kakfwi remembered as an honest and strong leader Laura Busch Northern News Services Published Monday, October 3, 2011
"You know, when they say 'after a long, courageous battle with cancer,' I understand that totally now because I saw that with my brother for the last year and a half," said Kakfwi's brother, former premier Stephen Kakfwi.
The funeral was held Monday, Sept. 26 in Fort Good Hope. "It was a very dignified funeral," said Stephen. "We carried his coffin from his house up the road to the church."
Everett served one term as chief of the Dene Fort Good Hope band. "I always said he was well suited (for politics), except that he was too honest in describing situations the way they are - he didn't play the game of politics that's necessary to survive."
"We were elected leaders together and he was always there when there was an issue in his community that needed to be addressed," said Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus. "When the community had to speak out on particular issues, you could always count on him to be a solid pillar of community government.
"He was a quiet person, but when he spoke, he had something to say and people would listen," Erasmus added.
Everett was also respected for his connection to the land and Dene traditions.
"He's one of the last guys who got into raising a dog team and going trapping," said Kakfwi of his brother. "He went when he was about 17 and he spent years as just a single guy, trapping and spending the winters with some of the elders. That's what he wanted to do and that's what he did."
Although his friends and family remember Everett as a strong leader and a person rooted in his culture, his life wasn't always rosy.
"He also partied and drank with the best and the worst for a long time," said Stephen. "As I said in the eulogy, none of us in the family - none of his friends - ever thought, one, that he would fall in love and get married, and secondly, that he would stop drinking. But he did, and of all places, in Fort Simpson in 1986 when he met Mable Isaiah."
Everett was also a great lover of music, having played guitar since the age of 14. For about 40 years, he played with the community fiddlers at community dances. He also worked as a host at the local radio station in Fort Good Hope for 10 years after retiring from politics.
As an involved and respected member of the community, Everett will surely be missed in Fort Good Hope.
"The community is somewhat remote, so they have to rely on individuals within the community to work together to get the issues out in the open and make progress," said Erasmus. "And he was one of the people that helped keep the community together as a strong place. So, they'll feel the strain, but as we all know, our communities are very resilient and they will find a way to continue."
Everett is survived by his wife, Mable Isaiah of Fort Simpson, and their three children Renita, Nolan and Denise.
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